FX is hopeful that Louis C.K. will make more 'Louie' episodes

The young god Larry David jump-started our enthusiasm for television earlier this summer with the casual announcement that he would be returning to HBO, bringing this generation the ninth (and final?) season of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" it so rightfully deserves. The return of Curb previously felt like an increasingly unlikely pipe dream for fans of David's hot take-proof classic and, in turn, gave mourning "Louie" fans some semblance of hope about Louis C.K. having a similar change of heart.

Speaking with Deadline during this week's Television Critics Association festivities, FX Networks CEO John Landgraf seemed to have absorbed that hope and flipped it into cautious optimism. "I think my hope with 'Louie' is that when [Louis C.K.] enters the next phase in his life—and I have no idea what that means, whether his kids get a little older or he falls in love, whatever—that will give him a pathway toward making more episodes of the show," Landgraf said.

When pressed for comment on how the return of "Curb" might provide the push needed for Louis C.K. to slide back into the captain's chair for his beloved FX series, Landgraf confirmed that he was very aware of David's announcement. "I know he saw it," Landgraf said. "And he knows I know he saw it. But ultimately I don't want him to make more episodes unless he wants to and they can be as good as the ones he's made. This shouldn't be a business exercise; it should be something creatively inspiring for him."

Back in April, Louis C.K. seemed to crush all chances of a "Louie" return. Speaking with Hitfix's Alan Sepinwall, the "Better Things and Baskets" producer said he considered the show to be something that was "very far" in his past. "I can't feel that show anymore," he said at the time. While we wait for Louis C.K. to start feeling "Louie" again, do yourself a favor and dive into "Horace and Pete."